Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Book Spotlight: A Sour Note (A Music Box Mystery) by Jill Piscitello

My guest today is Jill Piscitello, author of the new cozy mystery A Sour Note (A Music Box Mystery). I have the double pleasure of reading it now and being able to share this fast-paced amateur sleuth story's details with all of you. Trust me: you won't want to put it down!

TAGLINE:

When murder provides a welcome distraction…

Blurb:

On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancĂ©. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?

 

EXCERPT:

With his mouth set in a grim line, he waited.

If anyone else had enough nerve to presume she owed them an explanation, she would respond with a solid mind your own business. Instead, the seventeen-year-old still inside her refused to tell him to get lost. “He was hiding money in his office.” This was one of those times when learning how to wait a few beats before blurting out inflammatory information would come in handy. Each second of passing silence decreased her ability to breathe in the confined space. She turned the ignition and switched on the air conditioner.

“How do you know?” His volume just above a whisper, each dragged-out word hung in the air.

“I found it.”

“When were you in his office?” He swiped at a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face, then positioned a vent toward him.

“Last night.” When would she learn to bite her tongue? Finn’s switch from rapid-fire scolding to slow, deliberate questioning left her unable to swallow over the sandpaper lump in her throat.

“Where was Vic?”

She stared at the back of the building, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. “He’d left for the night.” If she averted her gaze, she could pretend his eyeballs weren’t bugging out of his head, and his jaw didn’t need a crane to haul it off his chest.

“You were at the town hall after hours? Did anyone see you?”

“A custodian opened his door for me.” She snuck a glance. Sure enough, features contorted in shock and horror replaced his boy-next-door good looks.

About the Author:

Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand.

 

A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes.

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Google Books

Walmart

BooksAMillion

Indie Bound

 

 Social media links:

Website ~ Twitter  ~ Facebook ~  Instagram  ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ BookBub

 

 

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Book Spotlight: Raven's Hollow Spring Magic by Tena Stetler

Helen, thank you for allowing me to share a few reasons why everyone should read my new release. Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic revisits the same quirky town and some of the same unusual characters from Meringue Snowflake Magic.  Then add in a few new quirky characters, a romance, a mysterious ancient jelly bean machine, a disappearance, and time travel and—poof—you have a new and exciting tale. I love jelly beans. Don’t you?  I guarantee after reading Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic, you’ll never look at jelly beans the same way again. Am I finished with Raven’s Hollow and the characters?  Only time will tell. <grin> 

Book Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdUGZl7qipE

Top 11 Reasons You Should Read Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic

1.      Find out what makes Raven’s Hollow so unique.

2.      Find out who is missing and what happened.

3.      What about the adorable dog, Cocoa? Where did she come from?

4.      Was the ancient jelly bean machine to blame?

5.      You love spring time.

6.      You love tales with happily ever after endings.

7.      You love stories set in a small town with quirky townspeople.

8.      You love mystery stories and time travel.

9.      The action, adventure, and magic will keep you turning pages.

10.  Find out what happened in 1861 that intrigued the characters.

11.  You enjoy stories with twist and turns, and engaging characters.

You need a break from your ordinary world to be swept into an exciting mystery sprinkled with a bit of fantasy and romance that you may never want to leave.

Now let’s see what my new release, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic is all about.

Spring is in full bloom in Raven’s Hollow, a small town in the Colorado Rockies with a population of unique townspeople. Blaze, a dragon shifter, and Wynter, a witch, are neck-deep in wedding preparations, when Wynter’s mother, Jade, goes missing after opening her new antique store, and attending the Simon estate sale where she procured an ancient jelly bean machine. Frantic with worry, Blaze and Wynter track her last movements via the store’s ancient, grainy, security footage. What it reveals is nothing short of shocking. As deputy sheriff, it’s Blaze’s responsibility to find his soon-to-be mother-in-law. But at what cost?


How about a sneak peek between the pages of Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic?

“Let’s not jump to the worst-case scenario. Relax, we’ll find her.” Using his calm cop voice, he felt anything but calm. My gut is telling me she’s not here, and I’ve no idea how to find her. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He could see that his calm voice did little to soothe her.

She nearly vibrated. “Mom is missing. Our wedding is in less than two weeks. Tammy’s baby is due soon. I gotta find a part-time employee and you’re telling me to relax?” Another clap of thunder shook the building and an involuntary scream flew out of her mouth.

He wrapped his arms around her tight and held on. “We’ll find her. Everything will be all right. One step at a time. We’ll stop over to Ms. Roost’s place as soon as the storm subsides. Then we’ll come back here and view the surveillance footage, if there is any. That’s the plan right now. Don’t think it’s smart to try to view it while the storm rages. Electrical current could cause a surge, fry the system, and then where would we be?”

“My head knows you’re right. My heart is at war with my head.”

“I understand. Off to Ms. Roost’s first.” He shut off the lights and unlocked the door.

She set the antiquated alarm, and locked it after they were outside. Thunder still rumbled around with only an occasional flash of lightning. The torrents of rain had turned into a drizzle as they ran to his vehicle. 

Buy Links:

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bOPR5E

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Hollow-Spring-Magic-Things-ebook/dp/B0C43XYQ5P

Barnes& Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ravens-hollow-spring-magic-tena-stetler/1143427010?ean=2940160979014

Ibooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/ravens-hollow-spring-magic/id6448729654

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/raven-s-hollow-spring-magic-jelly-beans-and-spring-things-by-tena-stetler 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146782568-raven-s-hollow-spring-magic

 About the Author: 

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award-winning paranormal romance/mystery with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

 Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.tenastetler.com

Authors’ Secret’s Blog: https://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/

My Say What Blog: https://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author

Twitter Page: https://www.twitter.com/TenaStetler  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14187532.Tena_Stetler

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler

Newsletter: https://www.tenastetler.com/newsletter-signup/

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler

Tribber: https://triberr.com/TenaStetler

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tena-stetler

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenastetler/

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tenajean2014

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tena-stetler-10057978/

My Review:

đź’–đź’–đź’–đź’–đź’– Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic by Tena Stetler in The Wild Rose Press Jelly Bean series, is the sequel to Meringue Snowflake Magic in The Wild Rose Press Cookie series. Introduced in the Christmas book, the characters of Wynter and Blaze find their lives upended when she goes into the Witness Protection Program and lands in Raven’s Hollow, the town he’s protecting as deputy sheriff. Now she’s settling into her new life in a town that’s a haven for magical creatures and where her own gifts can bloom. Only when her mother triggers a time machine do things go awry, but in a charming and delightful way. This is the very coziest of cozies, a fanciful mystery without a dead body cluttering up a most harmonious place, perfect for lovers.

 

Friday, July 7, 2023

FREDERICK FLY-CATCHER on Sale Now

Looking for summer reading for that favorite grade school child or grandchild? A story of adventure that also promotes the values of family, friendship and kindness? 


I’m excited to announce that my middle-grade fantasy, FREDERICK FLY-CATCHER, will be available as part of the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale! This is a chance to get my book, along with books from many other great authors, at a promotional discount. FREDERICK FLY-CATCHER is cut to half price, only $1.49 in ebook.

You can find the general promo here: Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale

You can find FREDERICK FLY-CATCHER ebook for only $1.49 here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1244386